The septuagenarian spoke this Tuesday, November 19, as the pleadings of the lawyers of the civil parties will begin after two and a half months of hearing at the Avignon courthouse.
“It’s time we change the way we look at rape”asked Gisèle Pelicot this Tuesday, November 19, during her last intervention at the Mazan rape trial, which for her is the one “cowardice” and a “macho and patriarchal society”. “For me, this trial will be the trial of cowardice” repeated the septuagenarian three times, facing her now ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, head down in the accused box. “It is high time that the macho and patriarchal society, which trivializes rape, changes, it is time that we change the way we look at rape”then continued Gisèle Pelicot, delivered for a decade by her husband to dozens of strangers whom he recruited on the internet, after he drugged her.
“Since the start of this trial, I have heard a lot of things, it was inaudible…”she indicated, recognizing that the succession of the 51 accused at the bar since the beginning of September, ended Tuesday morning by Philippe L., 62 years old, generated “a fatigue that is felt”. “I saw individuals taking the stand who deny rape”for the most part, and “I have a lot of trouble facing this banality. I want to say to these men: at what point when you entered this room did Ms. Pelicot give you consent? At what moment do you become conscious of this inert body? At what point are you not going to report him to the police?”she added. “I heard: “I was remote controlled.” I heard: “I drank a glass of water, I was drugged.” But when did they not hit?”
Gisèle Pelicot was then questioned by several lawyers about her relationship with her ex-husband or about how she was able to detect nothing of the approximately 200 rapes suffered between 2011 and 2020, half of which were perpetrated by her husband. “There are few who take responsibility for their actions. They raped! I hear this gentleman saying: “A finger is not rape.” Let him wonder!”she protested.
She also refuted the fact that she could have during the fifty years of her life with her ex-husband been “under the influence” or “manipulated” : “Do you think I would have stayed for 50 years with someone who manipulated me? […] Absolutely nothing caught my attention!” “Monsieur Pelicot had many fantasies, all of which I could not satisfy with him. But why have we come to this? I think what he wanted was Madame Pelicot and not another person. As I didn’t want to go to a swingers club, he said he found the solution by putting me to sleep.” And let go: “I lost ten years of my life that I will never get back. Never ! This scar will never close!”
Update at 11:48 a.m., added quotes from Gisèle Pelicot.
